Yemeni state television reported on Wednesday that President Ali Abdullah Saleh has arrived in Saudi Arabia to ink a power transfer deal mediated by Gulf states as a way to resolve his country's political and security turmoil.

Saleh, who has been in power for 33 years has so far failed to sign up the blueprint which would see him step down in return for a promise of immunity from prosecution for himself and his family.

However, the TV did not say when the deal would be signed. It added that along with Gulf representatives who brokered the deal, European and American envoys will also attend the signing.

Yesterday, the UN's Yemen envoy said a deal aimed at ending months of political deadlock had been approved both by the Opposition and by the President. "All the parties have agreed to implement the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative," envoy Jamal Benomar told reporters in the capital Sanaa.